#40. Julia Louis-Dreyfus

With a career that began on SNL in the mid-80’s, this funny lady has been making audiences laugh for decades and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Younger readers may know Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her award-winning role as Selina Meyer on HBO’s Veep.

But her most well-known and no doubt lucrative small screen role was playing Elaine Benes on the NBC hit Seinfeld in the late 80’s and 90’s. Towards the end of the shows run, it is reported that Louis-Dreyfus was making around $600,000 per episode, which was unheard of at the time.

Louis-Dreyfus has made headlines for years thanks to her talents but it’s her philanthropic efforts that deserve a bit more attention. Some of the charities and foundations she has worked with in the past include the Dream Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer. Heal the Ocean and more.